


all at once (you made me yours)

by MelPietenpol



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, and they were neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors), thrall is briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-11-21 07:10:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18139037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelPietenpol/pseuds/MelPietenpol
Summary: For one wild moment, Jaina thought the other woman was going to hug her. Her eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears. She looked awful, with deep bruises under her eyes and lines of stress crinkling the corners. Still, she was very pretty. Not that Jaina took note of that at all. That would be inappropriate.Aka the modern au that no one asked for, but i wrote anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's me, back at it again, dumping my trash onto Warcraft fans' lawns. Standard disclaimer that I know next to nothing about Warcraft or it's lore, but I'm gay for it's female characters so you know. I try. This story is mostly done, so I'll be posting the next chapter within the next 3-4 days. I just wanted to see the reception of this one first lmao. Also, rating will go up in subsequent chapters. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own, etc etc. Hope you all enjoy, and feel free to leave me a comment or kudos if you should so wish!

Jaina wasn’t sure how she got here. Two babies were in her arms, which was not common for her, and she was late for work, which was even _less_ common. It was all due to her new neighbor.

The elf was harried, clearly. Her hands shook as she tried time and time again to unlock the door to what Jaina could only assume was her new apartment.

Jaina had lived here for many years, ever since she was a struggling grad student fresh from a falling out with her family. The turnover rate in this building was high, due to relatively poor conditions and its proximity to the college campus but…not much else. It was popular for college students for that reason. Plus, it was cheap.

It had been ideal for Jaina back then. Now, firmly employed and secure, Jaina could easily move to a nicer place, but she felt connected to this admittedly terrible building. It was where she had made something of herself. Her family had stopped supporting her, leaving Jaina to make her own way. She was _proud_ of that accomplishment, even if she felt awful about what had led her here.

She’d been through plenty of neighbors over her years here, but the place across the hall had always been occupied by a sour looking middle-aged human woman. She’d always stared at Jaina like she was dirt, like Jaina was hiding a meth lab in her own shabby little apartment. This woman, this _elf_ , certainly didn’t have that human’s same energy.

One baby was screaming, the other was snoozing against Jaina’s shoulder. Blinking, still shocked at the turn of events, Jaina bounced on her toes, hoping the repetitive movement would calm the one child.

“Oh, Giramar honey, please,” the elf whined, resting her head against the solid wood of the apartment door, “Please, people live here, you’ve got to stop crying.”

The baby, Giramar, didn’t seem to heed his mother’s words, continuing to scream, tears streaking across his small face. In desperation, Jaina hoisted him further up her hip, guiding his hand to her hair. His small fingers tangled in it, tugging harshly. Jaina ignored the sting, listening in relief as his screams quieted.

The elf shot a sharp glance over her shoulder, eyes widened in surprise. A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up between her parted lips as she caught sight of the state of them. One baby was drooling against Jaina’s shoulder while the other, face still tear-streaked, amused himself with tangling her hair.

The ambush had come as Jaina was leaving for work. She was dressed in her lab coat, glasses sitting crookedly across her nose. Manilla envelops were clutched under one arm, her hair unkempt and in disarray. She’d been running late, or, well, late for Jaina anyway. She hadn’t once arrived late to her job since she’d begun interning there six years ago. She was normally ten minutes early but was running about five minutes behind this morning.

Cursing, she’d turned the key, tucking the ring aggressively into one of the deep pockets of her coat. She’d hoisted the paperwork further under her arm, ready to jog to her car and get her day moving. As she spun on her heel though, she was met with the stricken face of her new elven neighbor. She’d simply asked for help, shoving her children at Jaina and working to get her door open.

Now, Jaina was _really_ late, and she was beginning to feel the anxiety that came with it. She’d be forgiven, Jaina had no doubt about it, but it was the _principle_ of the thing. She couldn’t just leave this poor woman though, especially with twins who seemed a handful already. Jaina wondered distantly where the kids’ father was, but quite quickly admonished herself. It was none of her business, and the elf didn’t need her wondering about it.

“Um,” Jaina began, moving closer and hovering awkwardly behind her, “Turn it the other way.”

The other woman, with hair like starlight, groaned, twisting her wrist to the left instead. Jaina heard the telltale click of the lock and another hysterical laugh bubbled up from the elf. Jaina wasn’t sure how exhausted the other woman was, but she was tempted to just call Anduin to come to help the poor girl out. But no, Anduin was surely in class, and she was sure his father wouldn’t take kindly to Jaina using his son as an escape plan. No, Jaina was just going to have to swallow her anxiety and accept that today was working against her.

The woman swept over the threshold, tugging two large bags behind her with a grunt. Jaina wanted to help, but the babies prevented that. Instead, she hovered in the hallway, unsure if the other woman wanted her in her apartment. Jaina wouldn’t have invited her in if the roles were reversed, that was for sure. Some people were particular about that kind of thing.

She watched as the elf dropped the bags, standing with her back to the door. Alarmed, Jaina watched her shoulders shake, watched her head fall. She still stood awkwardly though, unsure what to do. Giramar made a small noise, his breathing hitching. Jaina panicked, sure he was going to start bawling again. She started humming, rocking both the sleeping baby and Giramar.

The elf’s ears twitched, her left one swiveling back, apparently listening. Jaina didn’t even have time to be embarrassed before she turned. There were no tears, thank the gods, but she did look utterly exhausted. Instead of saying anything, she just beckoned Jaina inside, taking Giramar back from her.

The baby seemed to settle, content to be in his mother’s arms. Jaina couldn’t blame him. She’d be pretty irate if someone shoved her at a stranger too. Jaina still held the sleeping baby though, and looked down into his face. He looked content, but she was sure as soon as he woke up the tears would begin. It was her job, therefore, to make sure he didn’t wake up. She kept humming, kept rocking him gently.

“Thank you,” the elf told her, dragging free hand roughly through her hair. “I’m so sorry about ambushing you, but all of this is just –”

Her face crumpled, and she placed her hand over it, drawing in a single shuddering breath. “It's a lot to have to do all by myself. I still have to go gather the rest of my stuff from the car. Oh –”

She dragged her hand down her face, looking dangerously close to crying once more. Jaina made a noise of discontent, moving forward and using her free hand to hesitantly touch the other woman’s shoulder. She gave it a small squeeze, feeling the elf jump in response. Those long ears drooped at the corners and Jaina spared a thought for just how much she could glean from watching them.

“I’ll go get it,” she promised. “If you just give me your keys, I’ll get everything up here for you.”

For one wild moment, Jaina thought the other woman was going to hug her. Her eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears. She looked awful, with deep bruises under her eyes and lines of stress crinkling the corners. Still, she was very pretty. Not that Jaina took note of that at all. That would be inappropriate.

“Thank you,” the elf breathed out, bouncing Giramar against her hip. The boy was looking suspiciously at Jaina, still clearly unsure whether he was willing to deal with her or not. The boys couldn’t have been much older than two if Jaina had to guess.

The elf’s hand reached out and Jaina went very still, throat bobbing as her fingers brushed some of Jaina’s hair aside.

She had no idea what had prompted the move until the elf glanced up at her again, offering her a small, scared smile. “Don’t fuck me here, J. Proudmoore.”

Duh. The nametag. The white lab coat was good for something, it seemed. At least it made her seem more capable than she was. It was embroidered with black thread, and Jaina had the sobering thought that maybe the elf thought she was a doctor. She _was_ , the doctorate had been hard-earned, but she was by no means a medical professional.

“Jaina is fine,” she said, swallowing thickly, “I won’t. I promise you that.”

She handed the sleeping baby off, filling the elf’s arms for the time being. She spun on her heel, the woman’s keys pressed into her palm in a bruising grip. It wouldn’t do to lose those. Jaina already felt overwhelmed as it was, the last thing she needed was to screw up anything for this woman. Just as she was almost out the door, she heard the elf call her name.

“I’m Vereesa,” she said, “Vereesa Windrunner.”

The name jogged something in her mind and she paused, brows furrowing as she thought. It was on the edge of her thoughts, just out of reach, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it now. Instead, she simply nodded, breaking into a jog as she elected to take the stairs.

The sooner she could get this over with, the sooner she could get to work. That was about as much socialization Jaina got most days. She looked forward to it. She liked her coworkers, she _loved_ her boss, and she loved the work she did. She was so used to being ignored, even scoffed at by the neighbor across the hall that this new turn of events was cracking her carefully crafted worldview.

It didn’t take her long to find Vereesa’s car. She peered inside, groaning at how closely packed it was. Pressing her forehead against the back window, Jaina took a moment to breathe. This was a lot to deal with, and she was pretty sure the sleeping baby had drooled on her shirt. Naturally, the wet, uncomfortable spot was not on the lab coat, but pressing against her skin. Gods, apparently this was just how today was going to go.

She unlocked Vereesa’s car, bringing up the hatchback as she dug for her phone. She distantly hoped Vereesa would bring her folders into her apartment. It really wouldn’t do to let those be seen in the public eye. Oh well, maybe no one would be interested. She _had_ set them down by her apartment door in a hurry.

She pressed the number one on her speed dial, let it ring a few times before the crisp voice of Modera answered. Jaina explained the situation as best she could, and once Modera was finished laughing at her, which was rude all things considered, she assured Jaina that she should just come in when she could.

With that handled, Jaina dug through the packed vehicle, deciding that the pack and play was going to be important. One boy was sleeping, and while the other could surely walk, he seemed unwilling to be apart from his mother. At least this would give Vereesa’s arms a break. She pulled it out through the back with a grunt, leaning it against the car as she dragged out what looked to be other baby things. Jaina figured that would be more useful than dragging out Vereesa’s things. Get the babies settled first, then worry about the rest of it. Jaina just didn’t know how she’d done all this by herself the first time.

It took several trips, and Jaina was panting and sweaty by the time she’d settled all the boxes inside Vereesa’s small apartment. It was nicer than her own, to be certain, but it still wasn’t great. The building itself didn’t offer much in the way of splendor.

Jaina tugged at the collar of her shirt, feeling flushed and uncomfortable as she glanced around the place. She worked out regularly, but that many trips, jogging up and down the stairs with actual weight attached to her arms still had her out of breath.

The boys were in the pack and play now, one of them still snoozing. Giramar was still eyeing her, but he was chattering at Vereesa, who was humming and speaking back as she bustled about her new apartment. Now that she was unencumbered, Vereesa looked marginally less stressed. She rubbed at her temples, indicating a headache, but she didn’t look on the verge of sobbing anymore either.

“Jaina…thank you. Gods, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come out at the perfect time. Probably gone around knocking on random peoples’ doors.” She winced, the thought clearly needling her.

“It’s okay,” Jaina replied, even though it kind of wasn’t. “I’m…probably your best bet for help around here anyway. Most everyone here is one of the students at the college, but there are a few older folks as well. But, fair warning, if you need to borrow sugar or something, don’t go to the guy on your right.”

“Why?” Vereesa asked carefully, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She looked legitimately nervous, and Jaina felt a stab of guilt.

“It’s not bad,” she rushed to reassure her, “The guy is just…weird. He’s more likely to talk your ear off than give you what you went there for. It’s not anything bad, I promise.”

Vereesa wrung her hands, rocking back and forth on her feet. Jaina wondered if she was stalling, trying to keep even a passingly friendly face here so she didn’t have to be alone.

“How long have you lived here?” Vereesa asked, eyes sweeping over her flushed face. “I – I would give you some water, but all my cups are still packed up and I just –” Jaina watched her fists clench and she sighed, holding out her own hand.

“Vereesa. It’s okay. It was…good exercise anyway.” _That_ was maybe the biggest lie she’d ever told, but it made the elf smile. She looked younger when she smiled, some of the stress lines melting away. It was pretty, and Jaina felt herself swallow hard once more.

“Okay,” she breathed, as her hands finally stopped moving. “But um…really. How long have you lived here?”

“Me? A long time. Eight years or so?” Her thirtieth birthday had come and gone, and the huge falling out had happened at twenty-two, just as Jaina was entering grad school.

Vereesa’s eyes fell to her lab coat again, her brows furrowing. Huffing out a laugh, Jaina shook her head.

 “I’m not a medical doctor. A doctor, yes, but I don’t treat people. I deal with – well, I just deal with immunizations is the easiest way to say it.” She shot a surreptitious glance over her shoulder, seeing the manila envelopes undisturbed.

Vereesa still looked impressed and a little confused. “Okay. Uh. Why…stay here then?”

Jaina was beginning to get antsy. She didn’t have time to have this conversation, even if Modera had insisted her lateness was fine. It was ruining her attendance record. She felt for Vereesa, but Jaina couldn’t stop her own life to tend to her.

She checked her watch, feeling a little guilty for it. “I guess I just like the place,” she said, offering Vereesa a tight smile.

She looked sad, suddenly, and Jaina almost threw caution to the winds, offered to stay and help her unpack. But no, no. Work was important.

“Um…I really do have to go,” she began, watching Vereesa’s ears droop, “But I would like to come check on you when I get off. Just…make sure you’ve settled in alright. If that’s…if that’s okay.”

Vereesa’s expression lightened, becoming more hopeful than anything else. “Yes, that would be okay. It’s just that I don’t…I don’t know anyone here and I don’t know the area all that well. My sister is coming to help me, but she won’t be here for a few more days.”

That was good, at least. She had a family to turn to, maybe she wouldn’t need Jaina to help show her the ropes. Things weren’t so difficult, Jaina reasoned. At least, they hadn’t been for her. Then again, Jaina wasn’t toting around two baby boys.

“Well, okay then,” Jaina said a bit awkwardly, shifting her weight, “I suppose I’ll see you just as soon as I get home.”

Vereesa smiled, shy and perhaps a bit embarrassed. “That would be lovely. Thank you, Jaina.”

With another nod, Jaina left, falling into the familiar monotony of the rest of her day. She nearly forgot all about her promise until she was halfway back to their apartment building.

She cursed, hastily changing lanes to take a well-known detour before getting back home. She hoped Vereesa liked Zandalari food. The owner knew her there, and always gave her good deals on her orders, especially when she bought from the family-owned business on Winter Veil. It wasn’t the best holiday celebration, but they were open, and the food was good.

She struggled to bring everything up to her and Vereesa’s floor, but mercifully, she managed. She made a quick stop in her own apartment, electing to brush her hair and change her clothes before walking across the hall and hitting Vereesa’s door with the side of her foot.

It didn’t take long for Vereesa to let her in, raising an eyebrow at the armful of food Jaina spoke around.

“I didn’t really know what you liked, so I just…got a bit of everything. I hope you like Zandalari?”

“Well, I suppose we’ll find out, won’t we?” Vereesa said, amusement thick in her tone.

She stood aside, and Jaina entered, casting a curious glance around. Not much had been done in her absence, which was a shame. It appeared Vereesa had unpacked a few things, her kitchen looked stocked and about ten empty boxes were piled near the door. The rest of them though were still stacked where Jaina had left them that morning.

She tore her gaze away to find Vereesa watching her, cheeks pink. “It just got a little overwhelming. I thought I might…do it in stages.”

Setting the food down on the kitchen counter, Jaina pursed her lips, running her hands through her hair as she began to braid it. “I’ll help,” she said decisively, “It’ll go a lot quicker with two people anyhow.”

Vereesa’s hand fell to the crook of her arm, and Jaina startled at the contact. She wasn’t used to being touched anymore. Even something as simple as this froze the breath in her lungs and made her heart skip a beat. It was unhealthy, perhaps, how touch starved she was.

“At least eat first,” Vereesa said, seemingly unaware of the effect she was having, “I’d feel terrible if you just came in here and started working. This is…it’s supposed to be my job, anyway.”

She sounded guilty, and the droop of those long ears clued Jaina in on just _how_ guilty Vereesa was. Hesitantly, she reached her own hand over to press it atop Vereesa’s. “Okay. We can eat and then we can both do it. I’m here now, I don’t have anything else going on for the rest of the night. I don’t mind helping you out.”

Vereesa smiled, giving Jaina’s arm one last squeeze before removing her hand. “Not one for going out much, hm?”

Jaina snorted, moving to the counter and popping open all of the boxes. Rich, spiced smells filled the small space and Jaina inhaled deeply, hearing Vereesa do the same behind her. “Ah, no. I turned thirty last year, I think my long nights of depravity are past me.”

Delighted laughter rumbled through Vereesa’s chest and Jaina felt herself flush. She’d never been much good around people in general, but pretty women were a whole other problem. It was so _stupid_ , Vereesa was probably married, or at least involved if the children were anything to go by.

“No offense, Jaina, but you don’t strike me as the type for depravity.”

“You would be correct,” Jaina replied dryly, “I am not one for depravity. Never really have been, even when I was younger.”

“Thirty isn’t so old.” Vereesa got two plates down, with matching cutlery, setting them beside the piles of boxes. Her hands hovered over the nearest one, face scrunching. She seemed to come to some sort of decision, and her hands worked quickly, scooping food onto the nearest plate.

“Maybe not,” Jaina allowed, watching her work with a faint smile. “Still though, all of that has never been for me. I always preferred staying at home with a book. I’d go out, especially in my undergrad, but I never had much fun.”

Vereesa hummed as an acknowledgment, hopping up onto the counter, one long ear giving a languid flick. She stabbed her fork into some of the jerk chicken, bringing it to her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Her eyes lit up, and a pleased sound emitted from her chest.

“Oh, this is good,” she said, mouth full, “Where did you get this?”

Laughing, Jaina told her, falling into comfortable conversation. She discovered Vereesa enjoyed spicy food, that her twins’ names were Giramar and Galadin, and what had happened to their father.

Vereesa told her all about Rhonin. How he had died eight months ago in a car accident, a terrible thing that had no one at fault. The other driver had not been drunk, it seemed like a simple lapse in judgment was the culprit. Vereesa shared that it had been difficult, with nothing and no one to blame.

It was about then that she started to cry, leaving Jaina at a loss about what to do. She bit the inside of her cheek, reaching over and grabbing Vereesa’s hand, giving it what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. It seemed to work, considering she had jumped atop the counter and put an arm around her in the next moment.

Jaina felt like her brain was malfunctioning, but she couldn’t very well leave Vereesa like this. She hardly knew her, but Jaina _liked_ her nonetheless. She was nice, and had a broken look in her eye that Jaina knew all too well.

“Oh – ” Vereesa hiccupped, wiping at her face, “This is – I’m so sorry, Jaina, I didn’t mean to cry. It all just feels so fresh still.”

Jaina made a strangled sort of noise from the back of her throat, unsure if she should remove her arm or not. She elected to keep it where it was, the rest of her body very stiff. Vereesa gave another sniff, tilting her head to rest against Jaina’s shoulder.

“You know, he just – he made all the money. It was our choice, I’d stay at home with the boys while he kept his job. He always made more money than I did, so it didn’t seem so bad at the time. We moved into this nice house with this fenced backyard, and everything was going so well. And then…then he died.”

Vereesa paused, and Jaina was worried she was going to start crying again. All of this must have been pent up for ages if she was just dumping it all on a relative stranger. Jaina just wished the stranger wasn’t her. She was half hoping for the aforementioned sister to burst in and save her. Hell, she was hoping for _anyone_ to burst in and save her.

“After that, I didn’t know what to do. My sisters were away, Sylvanas commanding the rangers and Alleria off doing – well, I don’t really know. She can never seem to tell me what she does.”

_That_ was why the name had sounded so familiar. Jaina was human, but she read a lot of books. In her studies of dry elven history, the name Sylvanas Windrunner popped up more often than not. She was famed, in military terms, and coming from a military nation herself, Jaina respected the title. Sure, Kul Tiras had more of a navy than an army, but Daelin Proudmoore had insisted all his children brushed up on other branches. Jaina had most enjoyed reading about the elven guerilla warfare and the dashing Ranger-General who led them.

“I couldn’t afford the house by myself, especially without any money saved up from a job of my own. Rhonin left me everything, of course, but we were young. We didn’t have a life insurance policy, so it’s not like I got any help there. My parents were gone, his couldn’t help much. All I had were my sisters, who couldn’t help me from so far away.” Vereesa sighed, and her whole body seemed to melt against Jaina.

“Well, you have your sister coming, right?” Jaina asked weakly, giving Vereesa a small squeeze.

“Yes. Alleria.”

Alleria Windrunner didn’t sound familiar but considering Vereesa mentioned her job being so hush hush, Jaina figured she might be Special Forces. It seemed the Windrunners were a military family. All except perhaps Vereesa.

“Then –” Jaina cleared her throat, biting the inside of her cheek. “Then maybe things won’t be quite so bad.”

“Maybe,” Vereesa sighed, not bothering to move from her slumped position.

With a sigh, Jaina removed her arm, hopping off the counter and offering Vereesa her hands. “There’s not much I can say to make it better, I’m afraid, but why don’t we start unpacking your boxes. I think that might…help a little.”

Vereesa sniffed, wiping a hand under her nose as she offered Jaina a slow grin. “I think so too. It feels so cluttered right now.”

She took Jaina’s hands, hopping off the counter with signature elven grace, giving Jaina’s fingers a small squeeze in the process. They chatted as they worked, and Jaina learned more. She learned that Vereesa moved out here because it was cheaper than the home herself and Rhonin had bought. She’d moved away from Quel’Thalas in general because it reminded her too much of her late husband.

Jaina told her a bit about what had happened with her own family. She spoke at length about Daelin’s death but left out her own involvement. Jaina logically knew it was not her fault, that the argument had not been the thing to kill him. He’d stormed away, angry, and been killed while he was out. Still though…still. The radio silence from her family, her mother, and brothers, was enough to make Jaina second guess her own critical thinking.

She didn’t open up completely, she didn’t know Vereesa well enough for that, but she let little pieces of herself go. Vereesa was too easy to talk to, too understanding, and maybe Jaina just didn’t have enough friends. It felt good to speak about things that were bothering her.

All too soon, they’d packed everything up, and Jaina piled the last of the boxes by the door.

“Okay, uh. If you just head around back there’s –”

“There’s a dumpster, I know. I didn’t just sit pining away in here while you were gone.”

Jaina flushed, but Vereesa’s soft smile was enough to tell her the rebuke wasn’t serious.

“Right, well.” Jaina rubbed the back of her neck, hesitating by the open door. She didn’t really want to leave, but social pleasantries _did_ kind of demand it.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?” Vereesa asked, fiddling with her fingers. “I can cook, and maybe we can watch a movie or something?”

A smile tugged at the corner of Jaina’s mouth, and she found herself nodding without thinking much about it. She liked Vereesa and discovered that having someone closer to her age than the surrounding students was pleasant. “Yeah, okay. That sounds good. I’ll bring…snacks.”

She didn’t know what had prompted her to say something that stupid, but it made Vereesa laugh, so Jaina counted it as a win. With a sheepish grin, she moved across the hall, letting herself into her apartment and feeling lighter than she had in quite a while.

\---

They established a pattern thereafter. Vereesa would find her in the mornings, looking sleep ruffled as she exited her apartment, and invite Jaina over for dinner. Eventually, Vereesa stopped inviting, Jaina just began showing up once she’d showered and changed after work. They’d eat, watch terrible reality television and talk about their days.

Jaina loved it. She loved having someone she could speak with that didn’t revolve around work. They became close very quickly, and though Jaina thought Vereesa was beautiful, she didn’t dare pursue that. She was somewhat freshly widowed and their friendship was too important to her.

Days turned into weeks, turned into months before Alleria Windrunner was able to get to Vereesa’s new place, but Jaina was more than happy to help out in the meantime. She changed diapers, lugged excited twin boys around when their mother went grocery shopping, bought diapers and tampons when Vereesa was too exhausted to do it herself. She didn’t mind doing it, she had the money, and she liked Vereesa very much.

It was one of those days when Jaina met the eldest Windrunner sister. Her arms were full of grocery bags, and she kicked her foot against Vereesa’s door. It took a minute, long enough for Jaina to frown and kick once more. The door flew open in short order after that, and Jaina blinked at the sight of a golden-haired elf with a blue tattoo whirling down her arm.

She spared a thought for how similar this woman and Vereesa looked, and her mind was quick enough to make the connection. This was Alleria Windrunner. She spared another thought for how absolutely annoying it was for _two_ of the Windrunners to be as gorgeous as they were.

“Oh, you must be –” Alleria stopped herself, choking on whatever she was about to say.

“I must be?”

“Uh. Jaina.” A nervous laugh emitted from the elf’s chest, and Jaina raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she drew out, “I am Jaina. Um. Is Vereesa home?”

Alleria nodded her head, eyes sweeping from the crown of Jaina’s head all the way down to her toes. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, because she stepped aside, waving Jaina into the apartment. “Yeah, she’s in the shower right now, but feel free to just hang out if you need to talk to her.”

Alleria didn’t have Vereesa’s same anxious energy. She seemed utterly content in the apartment, moving around with the sort of easy grace Jaina could only dream of. Confidence oozed off her, and Jaina spared a thought for how lucky she was to feel that way. With a start, she realized she was staring and she wrenched her eyes violently away.

“I uh…I don’t really need to talk to her,” Jaina said after a beat, clearing her throat, “I just brought her some stuff.” She hefted the bags, moving forward to set them on the kitchen counter.

“Nah, hang out,” Alleria said with a sharp-toothed grin. Jaina hadn’t met very many high elves in her life, but it appeared that all of them had absurdly sharp canines. “I’m sure Vereesa will want to see you anyway.”

Jaina wasn’t sure what to make of Alleria’s grin, but she did feel a warm burst of affection in her chest nonetheless. It was nice to know that Vereesa enjoyed seeing her. Clearing her throat, Jaina sat, folding her hands in her lap and drumming her fingers against her thighs.

“I’m Alleria,” the other woman said, moving forward and outstretching her hand with an easy grin, “I know damn well who you are. Vereesa never shuts up about you.”

Jaina wasn’t entirely sure how to take that, so she offered Alleria a tight smile, shaking her hand and inclining her head in what she hoped was a respectful manner. “I know you as well – er, well. Vereesa speaks about you, I mean.”

“So, Jaina,” Alleria began, sitting next to her, closer than Jaina was strictly comfortable with, “Tell me a little about yourself.”

It felt almost like an attack, but Jaina grit her teeth, going into detail about her job, her friendship with Vereesa and what she liked to do in her free time. It turned out she quite liked Alleria, who took an immediate interest in her work. She recognized the spark of excitement and entertained Alleria’s probing questions about what she did and how she did it.

They were chatting happily away when Jaina heard a brief squeak of surprise from behind her. On instinct, she turned, brows furrowed, only to narrowly avoid her mouth dropping open.

Vereesa was clothed, but in such a way that it made Jaina sweat. Her sweat pants were rolled, sitting low on her hips, while her chest was hugged with a sports bra. Jaina swallowed, eyes lingering on the sharp cuts of muscle across her abdomen. Her eyes were following a particularly sharp line down to the waistband of Vereesa’s sweats before she realized she was staring. She wrenched her eyes away, the movement so violent it jerked her head.

“I didn’t know you were coming over.” Vereesa sounded strangled, and Jaina resisted the urge to look over, not wanting to come across as creepy or lecherous.

“I’m sorry. I –” she began, before she was abruptly cut off.

“Alleria! You could have told me!”

“What were you going to do?” Alleria responded dryly, “Cut your shower short to come to talk to someone who was going to hang around anyway?”

“Maybe!” Vereesa’s voice turned slightly shrill, and this time Jaina _did_ turn to look at her. “It would have been nice to _know_!”

“It’s really not –”

“Oh please,” Alleria scoffed, “Just so you could make sure your hair looked nice?”

She gestured with a languid flick of her wrist, and Jaina watched Vereesa’s cheeks go pink as she dropped her hands from her head, balling them into fists.

“That is not what – I wasn’t concerned about – _shut up!_ ”

Jaina felt her eyebrows climb up her forehead, and she shifted uncomfortably, her shoulder bumping Alleria’s. The movement seemed to stop whatever absurd sibling argument was about to ensue. Alleria’s smile turned loose and lazy again and she looped an arm around Jaina’s shoulders, giving her a brief squeeze.

“Besides, it’s no big. Jaina and I were just getting to know each other, isn’t that right, Lady Proudmoore?”

Jaina sighed, rolling her eyes and digging her elbow against Alleria’s ribs. She felt a sudden puff of air against her ear and felt the other woman recoil. Alleria shot her a petulant glance, which Jaina met with an unimpressed raise of her eyebrow. She shifted further away from her, glancing toward Vereesa once more.

“I just…brought you some stuff. I knocked first and Alleria let me in, said I should hang out.”

Vereesa huffed, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear as she moved toward the couch. She flopped bonelessly on Jaina’s other side, shifting so she could pull her into a one-armed hug. She smelled like warm vanilla, and Jaina clenched her teeth to prevent the urge to bury her nose in her neck.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” she said, leaning across her lap to slap Alleria on the shoulder, “And I’m very glad to see that Alleria’s further proven why I should be your favorite Windrunner.”

Jaina sighed, leaning back to avoid potentially getting swatted in the chest. She remembered the arguments she and her brothers had gotten into as kids. They were a lot like this, though Tandred and Derek had been more likely to get Jaina in a headlock or throw her around their house than simply argue.

“Is she your favorite, Jaina?” Alleria asked, her grin far too innocent for Jaina’s taste. She felt Vereesa stiffen across her lap and had the sneaking suspicion that her friend thought so too.

“Yeah.” She shrugged a shoulder unapologetically, her stomach giving a swoop at the delighted grin Vereesa gave her in response. “But you’re alright too.”

Alleria’s gaze held the weight of elven haughtiness behind it. “I am a delight to be around.”

Vereesa straightened, looping an arm through Jaina’s as she leaned close. Jaina’s pulse quickened as she felt a warm brush of lips against her neck. “Ignore her,” Vereesa said, “She’s just…the worst.”

Jaina tried to heed her advice, and honestly, it wasn’t that difficult with Vereesa pressed up against her how she was. She paid more attention to the scent of her body wash, the warmth leaking through her clothes and Vereesa’s delighted laughter in her ear. She tried to follow along, she really did, but Jaina knew it would always be difficult with Vereesa pressed so close.

Not that she minded. 


	2. Chapter 2

_You should really ask her out, you know._

Jaina couldn’t stop thinking about it. Alleria’s parting words had sunk into her brain, playing on a loop that was far too distracting.

It seemed wildly inappropriate so soon. They’d only known each other a few months, and the first day Jaina had met Vereesa, she’d seen her crying over her late husband. Jaina wasn’t sure it would be prudent to ask a grieving woman out. Not only that, but she didn’t want to ruin what they had going. She valued Vereesa’s friendship, and she didn’t want to do anything to potentially jeopardize that. She didn’t even know if Vereesa liked _women_ , let alone liked her.

Though, she reasoned, it was logical that she had some sort of attraction to women if Alleria was encouraging her to go for it. Jaina didn’t think Alleria would be so cruel as to throw Jaina in blind. Still, though, Jaina wasn’t sure anything about her, in particular, would be appealing to Vereesa. It wasn’t like she had a ton going for her aside from a reasonably lucrative job.

She shook her head, pushing the intrusive thoughts to the back of her mind as she clicked aimlessly upon her computer. Calculations could only hold her attention for so long, but she did have work that needed to be done. Jaina enjoyed staying on top of things.

She reached over, shoveling some of her takeout into her mouth. She was mid-chew when she heard a knock on her door. People didn’t normally visit her, but Jaina stood up anyway, smoothing a hand down her front to catch any crumbs that may have fallen. It was Saturday, she didn’t have anyone to impress, and Jaina knew she wasn’t exactly looking her best. Still, though, she didn’t want to appear like a total slob.

She threw open the door to see Vereesa’s smiling face. Smiling was perhaps too soft a word for it. Vereesa was beaming at her, looking incredibly well put together in a suit. She looked a hell of a lot better than Jaina did, at any rate.

“Hi! I have wine!” She wagged the bottle to prove a point, eyes making a slow sweep across Jaina’s form.

Jaina blushed, wondering just how messy she looked with how Vereesa’s eyes seemed to linger. “You have wine?”

“I do. Alleria has the boys, and I don’t have anyone else to celebrate with, so –” She reached out, tangling her fingers in the fabric of Jaina’s shirt and giving a brief tug. “Come over.”

Jaina glanced over her shoulder, gnawing at her lower lip. She supposed work could wait until tomorrow. She would be hard pressed to say no to Vereesa’s grin alone, but now that she was touching her it was all but impossible.

“Yeah – yeah, okay. I’ll just…” She trailed off, picking at the hem of her shirt. “I’ll change really quick and – what are we celebrating?”

“No don’t!” Vereesa’s fingers tightened in her shirt, and Jaina watched a light flush start to climb up her neck. “You look really warm – uh. Really comfortable, I mean.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “We’re celebrating because…guess who’s employed.”

Jaina’s eyes widened and she beamed right back at the other woman, stepping into her space and sweeping her into a hug. She pulled Vereesa off her feet, twirling her in the hallway and pulling a breathless laugh from her chest. She held her for perhaps a minute too long, but Vereesa didn’t comment or pull away, simply squeezed her right back, so Jaina didn’t think she was being too forward.

“That is amazing news! Where’d you end up going?”

She let Vereesa tug her into the hall, noting with interest that the flush in her cheeks hadn’t gone away just yet. She closed her door, locking it just in case, and followed her friend the mere steps it took into her apartment.

“I’m advising on military matters for the Silver Covenant. It’s what I used to do before I got pregnant, though not quite so high up as I am now. I was a Ranger like my sisters before I met Rhonin. I was climbing the ranks and then boom. Twins.”

Well. So much for Vereesa not being military like the rest of her family.

Jaina squeezed her shoulder, moving away and into the kitchen to grab wine glasses for both of them. She realized a second too late that it might have been presumptuous, but she was there enough that she knew where all of Vereesa’s things were. She’d even bought some of them herself.

“That’s pretty big time. I came from a military family too, but I don’t think I was ever destined to lead the fleet.”

“Kul Tiran, yeah?”

“Mhmm. I liked reading about the strategy when I was younger, but I never had an interest in pursuing a career in the Navy. I could have, I guess, being my father’s daughter, but…nah.”

A small frown pulled at the side of her mouth. It still stung to think of her family, and Jaina didn’t want to bog down Vereesa’s accomplishment with her own baggage. She poured two glasses of wine, moving back over to the couch, where Vereesa had already begun dressing down.

“I’m certainly not leading anything,” Vereesa laughed, accepting her glass and pulling Jaina down next to her. “Just advising. I had to name drop Sylvanas, and how I’d sit in on the briefings she did when I was younger, how I worked under her for a long time but…I think I’ll be good at it. I feel…I don’t know. I feel confident, you know?”

She sounded almost shy about it, hand moving over to grab Jaina’s own. Jaina thought nothing of lacing their fingers, giving Vereesa’s hand a small squeeze.

“You should. You’ll do great, especially since you were a part of everything for – well. The majority of your life, I’d imagine. I’m sure it didn’t just go away because you had kids.”

Vereesa laughed, taking a gulp of her wine and tilting her head to rest against Jaina’s shoulder. “I’m not changing the world like you or anything but…I think this is a really good step. It’ll be nice to have extra funds coming in. Lord knows the boys need new things. They’re growing like weeds.”

“I would not say I’m changing the world,” Jaina said, shifting to give Vereesa more space to sprawl out. “Just…trying to make the world a little safer by protecting against preventable disease. That’s all.” She paused, biting the inside of her lip. “Giramar and Galadin…they are vaccinated, right?”

“Considering I want my children to live into adulthood, yes, they’re vaccinated.”

Jaina snorted, feeling a knot loosen in her chest. She didn’t know if she could feasibly continue this friendship with Vereesa if she stood against things Jaina worked for. “Good. You’re right though, they’re getting so big, it’s crazy. I can pick up some stuff this weekend if you want. Or we can go together.”

She realized a moment too late that she was being presumptuous again, inserting herself where perhaps she wasn’t wanted. She opened her mouth to save face, but the soft look Vereesa sported stopped her short.

“Yeah. We can go together. They’ll be hellions though, I hope you’re prepared for that.” Vereesa laughed, curling her knees up to her chest and leaning more heavily against Jaina. Her glass was drained in short order, and Vereesa poured herself another.

“I’ve changed diapers, cleaned up puke, and toted them to and from the store enough times that I think I can handle clothes shopping.”

“Darling,” Vereesa purred, reaching up and thumbing the corner of Jaina’s mouth, “You’d be surprised.”

A slow smile curled Jaina’s lips and she shook her head, shifting and looping an arm around Vereesa’s shoulders so she sat more comfortably against her. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to see, huh?”

A few hours in, the bottle had been drained, and Jaina felt a buzz settling across her brain. Her limbs felt loose and her face felt hot. Vereesa was similarly affected, giggling into Jaina’s shoulder and getting touchier and touchier as the night went on. Jaina watched a pretty pink flush settle high in her cheeks, saw the glaze in her eyes.

Vereesa got giggly and touchy when she drank. Jaina, however, just got sleepy. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, and she reclined her head back against the couch, feeling Vereesa shift and press a hand to her stomach.

“I was totally right,” she laughed, dragging her fingers across the fabric of her shirt. “You’re a lot warmer in these than anything else.”

Jaina hummed, enjoying the contact, but lazily tilting her head back up to glance at Vereesa. “I think that’s the alcohol, not the clothes.”

Vereesa shifted, getting so close she was nearly in Jaina’s lap. She dragged her fingers up, hitting the skin at her collar and moving higher, pressing into the hollow of her throat and sweeping outwards, along the lines of her collar bones. Jaina felt her heart stutter, and she suddenly felt much less drunk than she had moments earlier. Vereesa’s fingers were cold, but it was mercy on Jaina’s heated skin.

Jaina smiled lazily, keeping her hands to herself and tilting her head curiously. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Vereesa hummed in response, eyes moving to her face. Jaina felt her fingers stop moving and her own throat bobbed as she swallowed. Vereesa’s right hand came up, fingers pressing to the underside of her chin. She moved, straddling one of Jaina’s legs, one of her own pressing firmly against the crux of Jaina’s thighs.

“You have a nice smile,” Vereesa breathed, thumb brushing gently over her bottom lip.

It seemed like everything slowed and crystalized. Her smile faded, but Vereesa’s thumb remained. Jaina parted her lips to respond, but no sound came out. She noticed small details. The nick of a scar through Vereesa’s eyebrow, the deep blue of her eyes, flecked with small spots of gray, the dark, thick lines of her eyelashes, the regal arch of her cheekbones, the noble slope of her nose, her full lips, stained a darker red from the wine. A huff of air escaped Jaina’s parted lips and she stared, caught in an odd sort of liminal space where she didn’t know what to do.

She ached to lean up, to press her lips to the underside of Vereesa’s jaw. She wanted to follow the cut of her jaw up to one of her long ears, to trail her tongue up the lobe of it. She wanted to shift her hips upward along Vereesa’s thigh, to grab her by the waist, hold her down and coax her into a writhing, sobbing mess that would beg Jaina for more.

Jaina did none of those things. She simply swallowed, holding Vereesa’s gaze as a coil of heat hooked her low in her gut. She was almost positive Vereesa’s flush had darkened, though that could have been a simple trick of the light. Vereesa hadn’t said anything either, simply looked at Jaina, thumb catching and dragging across her lower lip.

Vereesa bit her own bottom lip, the flash of sharp teeth sending a shiver down Jaina’s spine. She wanted now, more than ever, to lean up and press their lips together. She wanted it so much that she was forced to curl her fingers into her palms, nails biting into her skin, to stop her from following that impulse. She was drunk, but she was not so drunk that she didn’t know the difference between right and wrong.

Vereesa let out a shaky breath, dropping her hand and leaning forward. Jaina felt her stomach swoop, heard her heartbeat in her ears. She was going to kiss her. Oh, gods, Vereesa was going to kiss her. Jaina angled her chin, the heat in her belly burning brighter. She sucked in a sharp breath through her nose, her eyes falling partially shut.

Her parted lips brushed warm skin as Vereesa leaned down, firmly tucking her head against Jaina’s shoulder and giggling. She shifted, and Jaina held back a groan as Vereesa’s thigh pressed against the seam of her pants. Jaina opened her eyes, heart thundering in her ears and stomach sinking down to her toes. She’d been ready for the kiss, hoping for it even, but she wasn’t sure Vereesa had been on the same page.

“C’mon,” Vereesa laughed, hands pushing at her shoulders, “You look tired.”

Jaina went with it, reclining and stretching out across the couch. Vereesa straddled her again, which sent a pang of lust through her, but she nudged Jaina’s legs apart, sinking to settle herself between them with her head under Jaina’s chin. Jaina’s heart was hammering, there was no way Vereesa wouldn’t hear it. She felt alarmingly sober, like the expectation had burned the wine from her blood.

Vereesa didn’t talk about it, just murmured a goodnight into her skin as Jaina laid awake, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts kept whirling long after Vereesa’s breaths evened out. Eventually, though, the wine took its toll, and her heavy lids closed. She fell asleep under Vereesa’s soft weight, the comfortable scent of warm vanilla in her nose.

Jaina knew then: She was so fucked.

***

It took her a good year and a half after that alarming incident to make her damn move. By that point, they were practically living together. Giramar and Galadin sometimes slipped up and called her mom, but she wasn’t sure Vereesa knew about that. Vereesa cooked for her every night, and Jaina let her kick her feet up into her lap after particularly annoying days at work.

She still remembered Thrall’s open astonishment when she’d told him. He’d insisted that she and Vereesa were dating and that Jaina had missed the memo. She was forced to admit that he might have been correct. She caught Vereesa staring sometimes, her eyes lingering around the neckline of her shirt, or dragging down her form after Jaina got back from the gym.

Jaina noticed small things, and she could see that Vereesa loved that she did. Though the apartment building was shabby and old, Jaina noticed that Vereesa tried to brighten it up with mason jars of white and yellow flowers. So, naturally, she’d bring them home sometimes, which always earned her a hug. She noticed what shampoos, body washes, and any number of things that Vereesa preferred, picking them up for her without having to be asked.

It was things that Jaina would have done without being hopelessly attracted to Vereesa, but even still. In a certain light, those things certainly weren’t platonic.

She still had Alleria’s words ringing in the back of her mind. _You should really ask her out, you know_. It had taken her a while, but Jaina was finally ready. She was confident now that it wasn’t just in her head. Still, though, she was horribly nervous. If it was all in her mind, it could ruin everything. She’d grown so used to being so close with Vereesa that losing her friendship would feel like losing her family all over again. But no, no. Surely that wasn’t going to happen. No one stared at their friends that much if they didn’t want something.

The holidays were approaching, and Jaina felt it was the perfect time to ask her out on a date. That was all she wanted. No grand declaration of love, no insistence on being exclusive. She just wanted a _chance_ to see if they could get to those things. There were plenty of holiday activities going on around town, and Jaina thought now was the perfect time to just take the plunge and get it over with.

Taking a deep breath, Jaina squared her shoulders, brushing a hand down the front of her clothes while her other tightened around the stems of yellow tulips she’d gotten her. She fervently hoped Alleria wasn’t visiting and that Vereesa wasn’t elbow deep in some mess the twins had made. She hoped she could get in, ask, and get out. Or, even better, stay and help with dinner, or whatever else Vereesa needed. Steeling herself, Jaina knocked.

It didn’t take long for Vereesa to open the door, shooting Jaina a quizzical look as she did so. “You have a key,” she told her, amused. “What are those for?”

“For you,” Jaina replied, holding out the flowers and swallowing against the sudden dryness in her throat.

Vereesa lit up, taking the tulips and tugging Jaina into her apartment by the wrist. “Thank you! It’s been ages since anyone actually got me flowers.” She grinned, bumping their shoulders together. “I don’t count all the times you just refilled the ones around here.”

Jaina’s breathing was uneasy, and she felt her palms start to sweat. Licking her dry lips with her equally dry tongue, Jaina sat on the couch, fingers twisting in her lap. “I uh – I actually wanted to ask you something, if you’ve got a minute.”

“Of course I do,” Vereesa called over her shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to fish a vase out from one of her cabinets, “Boys are holed up in their room napping right now, so you’ve got me to yourself.”

Jaina waited until Vereesa had seated herself, noting the quizzical look was back on her face. It was now or never.

“Well – here’s the thing,” she began, looking away from Vereesa’s painfully earnest face, “I like you. Which – which sounds stupid, because of course I do, but – uh.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I like you a lot, and I think you like me too. So I was hoping, maybe – if uh…if you would like to, you would let me take you out. Like…like on a date.”

Jaina risked a glance up, noting that Vereesa’s face had frozen, her whole body tensing. Ignoring the sense of unease that curled in the back of her mind, Jaina bowled forward. “It’s nearly Winter Veil, so I thought maybe we could go downtown, maybe do that ice skating rink. I thought we could take the twins and – and it would be kinda the same as before, just…maybe…I could hold your hand this time.”

She had originally planned to mention kissing, but with Vereesa’s body looking like it had been carved out of stone in this very moment, Jaina didn’t think that would go over too well. She heard her heartbeat thundering in her ears and she waited, fidgeting as the silence stretched for what felt like forever.

“Jaina – no.”

Her whole world stopped, and Jaina blinked dumbly, genuinely taken aback by the answer.

“I think –” Vereesa paused to swallow, averting her gaze, “I think maybe you should go.”

Panic and shame were threatening to choke her and Jaina jerked as if she’d been slapped. “But – wait,” she rushed out, hearing the earnest desperation in her own voice, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to – it’s just that –” She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to calm down. “I don’t want to…I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I don’t – can we just forget I even said anything? Forget this ever happened?”

“Jaina.” Vereesa’s voice was soft, but she still wasn’t looking at her. “I think you should go.”

She was pretty certain she could feel the moment when her heart broke. Pain lanced through her chest, and she could feel her cheeks flood with both embarrassment and shame all at once. She tried to speak, but only a strangled sort of choking sound came from her throat. Without waiting to be told again, Jaina stood. She fled from the apartment, finding herself blinking in the too bright light of the hallway.

Her breaths were coming in short gasps, and with a start, Jaina realized she was crying. She wiped the tears roughly from her face, her mind whirling even as her feet couldn’t seem to decide what to do. She’d been so _stupid_. She hadn’t even stopped to think to ask Vereesa if it was even something she’d wanted first. She hadn’t even stopped to ask her whether or not she was into women. She’d just gone by her own selfish approximation. Maybe high elves were just _like that_.

She felt the hard knot in her throat, felt more warm tears spill from her eyes. She wiped them roughly away again, standing indecisive in front of Vereesa’s closed apartment door. She brought her key ring out with shaking hands, staring down at the key Vereesa had gifted her so long ago. She debated removing it, slipping it through the crack under Vereesa’s door. But no…no. Until she knew whether or not she’d well and truly fucked everything up, she’d hold on to it.

Jaina didn’t need to date her. It would have been wonderful, but Jaina didn’t _need_ to date her. She would be content with simply being friends. She hoped her stupid lapse in judgment hadn’t made Vereesa so uncomfortable that she’d ruined the friendship on top of everything else. Jaina knew she’d have to be more careful if they remained friends, but she was sure that was something she could do.

Her shoulders slumped, and Jaina shoved the key ring back into her pocket, taking a left toward the elevators. The thought of being alone in her apartment right now, thinking over in detail everything she’d just said and done threatened to make her ill. Being outside wouldn’t be fun, considering how chilly it was, but Jaina would take cold over soul-crushing despair.

\---

Her walk had calmed the worst of her panic, had even replaced it with a semblance of hope. Three days later, Jaina realized that the hope had also been stupid. She’d thought maybe Vereesa just needed some time to herself, time to work out her feelings before telling Jaina it was fine, but she wasn’t interested in being anything but friends with her. Jaina was prepared for the sting of that rejection. She hadn’t been prepared for the three days of utter radio silence. Worse, it was Winter Veil.

She’d planned to spend the holiday with Vereesa and the boys, probably Alleria. It was what she’d done the previous year, and she’d loved every single second of it. The warmth of the family, the good food, Jaina had been spoiled in a way she hadn’t been since she was on speaking terms with her own family.

Now though, she was resigned to the fact that she was going to be spending the holiday alone once more. She dragged her sorry carcass out of bed that morning, casting a forlorn glance to the pile of presents she’d placed in the corner of her apartment. She took the time to shower and change out of her pajamas, but not much else.

She knew the trolls running her favorite Zandalari takeout place were going to judge her harshly, but she didn’t really have a whole lot going for her, food wise. Heaving a sigh, Jaina put on her glasses and gathered the pile of presents once it got to a reasonable hour. She knew Vereesa and the twins would surely have been up early, but she really didn’t want to intrude, especially considering she’d heard nothing since she’d screwed up and asked Vereesa out.

She moved across the hallway, standing for several minutes outside of Vereesa’s closed door. She could hear laughter from inside, and despite herself, she felt her chest warm. At least they were having fun. She didn’t want to ruin it by showing up uninvited. She stared indecisively between the door and her presents before coming to a decision and setting them down. She settled Giramar’s and Galadin’s on the bottom, flopped Alleria’s gift on top of that, but paused once she reached Vereesa’s.

She debated for a long while over whether or not to leave it with the other presents, afraid it would look like a form of manipulation, or worse, some sort of stalking. The gift had been expensive, and Jaina didn’t want it to seem like she was trying to buy back her friendship. Biting anxiously at the inside of her cheek, Jaina sent a text to Thrall to get his opinion. He advised her to leave it, along with a note telling Vereesa to fuck off.

She wasn’t going to take _that_ advice, but the note was a good idea. She scrawled out that she didn’t intend to make her uncomfortable with the gift, but that she’d purchased it ages ago after hearing Vereesa talk about it. Reasonably satisfied that she wasn’t going to sound too manipulative or strange, Jaina set Vereesa’s present on top of the others before rapping her knuckles smartly against the door. Hesitating a moment more, Jaina removed the key to Vereesa’s apartment from her key ring, using it to weigh down the note.

She turned on her heel, quickening her step so as not to get caught. She heard the door open and she cursed, a flush moving up her neck as she refused to look back. An unknown female voice, heavily accented with the musical lilt of Thalassian called out about the gifts, probably over her shoulder to Alleria and Vereesa. Good. Jaina could make her escape without being noticed.

She ducked into the stairwell, wandering down to the first floor. The walk to get food was quiet, which made sense considering most people were inside with their families. Jaina felt the bite of the cold as keenly as she felt the bite of loneliness within her heart. She knew she’d be just fine though. She’d lost a family already, she could stand to lose another. It did worry her that the twins would be upset, however.

Thoughts clouded, she stepped into the restaurant, noting that she was the only patron inside. It wasn’t so inconceivable. It was Winter Veil.

The troll manning the front offered Jaina a grin, waving a hand.

“Jaina! What are you doing here? I thought you had that pretty girlfriend to entertain.”

Immediately, Jaina flushed, shame burning hot through her veins. “I – no. No. She’s not my girlfriend. She never was. And I think that’s over anyway, so…here I am!”

He frowned, brows coming together as he crossed his arms. “Over? Don’t you watch her kids? Do tons of things for her?”

Jaina met his frown with one of her own. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean she owes it to me to date me.”

He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, not even bothering to ask what she wanted as he took her card and put her order in. She sat quietly in the corner while it was prepared, eyes fixed on the windows. There weren’t really any opportunities for people watching, but Jaina preferred looking outside to looking around the takeout place.

The troll brought her food, three neatly bound to go boxes filled with some of Jaina’s favorites. She grinned, feeling decidedly less excited about the promise of food than she had even two years ago.

“For the record,” he said, fixing her with a serious look, “I think _she_ messed up, losing you.”

She flushed again, shaking her head, a rebuttal on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t really feel like getting into it though, and the support was kind of nice. Instead, she just thanked him, tucking the food under her arm and wandering back to her apartment.

She glanced toward Vereesa’s door, noting with relief that the pile of presents had been moved elsewhere. They could have been tossed in the trash for all Jaina knew, but at least she hadn’t had to see it.

Settling at her desk, Jaina started up her computer, determined to not waste the holiday sulking and feeling sorry for herself. She stored the other two boxes in the fridge, popping open the Pepper Pot Soup and tucking in. It wasn’t necessarily the best breakfast food, but it warmed her chest on the way down, so Jaina was content.

She started with more calculations for work, moved into writing various reports, and finally ended with apartment shopping. Realistically, she knew that staying across the hall from Vereesa after embarrassing herself so fully would not be a good idea. She had the money to move, and the building, which had been a source of strength for her before, now housed another disappointing failure. Jaina knew the value of moving on.

She was shoveling the third box of food in her face when she heard a knock at her door. She looked up, noting with shock that it was dark outside. If she could keep herself busy, she thought, maybe the situation would feel a lot better in a few weeks.

Wiping her face with a napkin, Jaina stood, moving toward her front door. She quashed the hope burning bright and hot within her chest, sternly reminding herself that Vereesa was busy and uninterested, that this was probably just some college student needing to borrow something. Or perhaps it was Thrall, or even Anduin, coming by to make sure she wasn’t alone on a holiday. She was rubbing one tired eye as she pulled the door open, only to frown in confusion.

An unknown woman, tall and gorgeous, was holding Vereesa by the collar of her shirt. Vereesa looked panicked and far worse than when Jaina had left her three days ago. She looked tired, stressed out, though that might just have been because there was a woman dragging her along wherever she pleased.

Jaina opened her mouth to ask but was forced to catch Vereesa as she was shoved at her instead. She steadied her with a grunt, her hands flying off her form in the next moment, her cheeks flushing bright pink. She took a hasty step backward, which only encouraged the unknown woman to press forward, her tall frame filling the doorway.

“Use your words, dumbass,” she drawled, reaching into Jaina’s apartment and gripping the handle of the door. She closed it with a smart snap, leaving Jaina flabbergasted and horribly confused.

She simply looked to Vereesa, whose face had scrunched up in annoyance, only to glance away a moment later. She’d never been ashamed of her attraction to women before, but that appeared to be changing as she looked at Vereesa. Jaina was _ashamed_ of herself. She couldn’t seem to stop the burn of attraction, no matter how much she wanted to. She figured it would make more sense to just not look at her, or gods forbid, touch her. Jaina was just so afraid of making Vereesa uncomfortable over something she couldn’t control.

Vereesa cursed, stomping angrily to the door and pulling on it, to no avail. Jaina figured someone was holding it shut from the other side, which was insane in so many ways.

“Sylvanas!” Vereesa screeched, “Open the door! Alleria! Do something!”

Jaina ignored it, crossing the room and popping open her window. She waited for Vereesa, letting her rage for a while before clearing her throat.

“Uh. You can leave through here. The fire escape leads down to the entrance. It’s – hold on.” Frowning, she entered her bedroom, pulling loose one of her old college hoodies and reentering the room. She held the garment loosely in her left hand, awkwardly offering it to Vereesa. “It’s cold, so you might want to wear this.”

The silence was deafening and Jaina refused to look up, centering her gaze on her own feet. She hoped it hadn’t been too forward. Hearing a small sniffle, Jaina frowned, glancing up only to be enveloped in a warm hug. Vereesa’s hands fisted the material of her sweater, and Jaina felt her nose press into the skin of her neck. Alarmingly, Vereesa’s face was wet and Jaina felt her body shake with sobs.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but it was reasonable that if Vereesa was touching her, it was probably okay to touch her back. She dropped her hoodie, hesitantly pressing her palms to Vereesa’s ribs, feeling the full body shudder she got in response. Sniffling, Vereesa pulled back, only to have her face crumple. She buried her face back in Jaina’s shoulder in short order.

Jaina let her cry, rubbing slow, soothing circles against her back, unsure what else to do. Under normal circumstances she would have pressed a kiss or five against Vereesa’s brow, she would have squeezed her tight and rocked them back and forth until Vereesa felt okay again. These weren’t normal circumstances though, and the thought of doing something to make Vereesa uncomfortable sent another wave of shame crashing through her chest.

“I’m sorry,” Vereesa finally got out, breath hitching. She didn’t move very far away, simply wiping her face with a hand before reaching back around to fist it in Jaina’s sweater again. “I miss you.”

Jaina blinked rapidly. She was fairly certain she was dreaming because this was both too odd and too good to be true. “I’m…right here?”

“I know you are,” Vereesa replied, sounding watery and miserable. “But I just – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have sent you away like that. I shouldn’t have shut you out, I just –” Her face crumpled once more, and Jaina was forced to hold her as her tears leaked into the material of Jaina’s sweater. “I miss you,” Vereesa finally breathed, shifting and pressing a warm kiss against Jaina’s collar bone.

“Does this mean we’re friends again?” Jaina asked, bewildered.

She got a weak, watery chuckle in response, and felt Vereesa nod against her shoulder. Jaina gently extracted herself from the warm embrace, head still spinning. She got Vereesa a glass of water, handing it over and watching as she gulped it down. Sniffling once more, Vereesa reached out with her left hand to hold one of Jaina’s.

Jaina was mildly uncomfortable with the contact, but she didn’t pull away. She’d come to accept that Vereesa needed to be touched when she was upset. Just because she had a hopeless crush on her didn’t mean Jaina couldn’t be _a_ _ppropriate_.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” she said after a beat, leading Vereesa over to sit on the couch. “It’s okay that you aren’t interested. It’s okay that you asked me to leave. I never would have asked if I knew it would make you so uncomfortable.”

She glanced up, watching a hard to identify emotion cross Vereesa’s annoyingly pretty face. Bowling forward hadn’t gone well for Jaina last time, but she did it anyway.

“I should have made sure it was something you wanted, seen if you were even –” She searched for words for a minute, making vague motions with her hands as she thought. “I don’t know. Seen if you were even remotely attracted to women, for one, much less me.”

“Jaina –”

“I shouldn’t have jumped you like I did. I won’t do anything like that again, and – and don’t worry. I can keep my hands to myself if that’s what you’re worried about.” She was mostly joking, waggling her fingers as if to prove her point. “I’m certainly not going to –”

“Jaina –!”

“– do anything untoward. I’m working really hard to stop being attracted to you, actually. Given a few months, maybe this won’t even be a problem.”

“Jaina shut up!” Vereesa shot out through gritted teeth. “Gods. Stop talking. You didn’t do anything _wrong_.”

That made Jaina promptly shut her mouth, her brain short-circuiting. “I didn’t?!” she blurted out.

Vereesa let out a disbelieving laugh, moving forward and clambering into Jaina’s lap. She shoved Jaina’s shoulders back, settling herself across her thighs. “No, you dolt. You’re allowed to be attracted to me. We have really got to work on getting that through your pretty head.”

Jaina heard most of it, but she was so distracted by the fact that Vereesa was straddling her that it went in one ear and out the other. Jaina kept her hands to herself still, though Vereesa didn’t seem to have any qualms about it herself. Her fingers dragged soothingly through Jaina’s hair.

“Listen,” Vereesa sighed, “I screwed up. I panicked when you asked me. It was like…” She trailed off, brow pinching, “I don’t even know how to describe it. I just…panicked. I thought of Rhonin, that I was betraying him somehow, which sounds absurd in retrospect. I just…screwed up. I shouldn’t have pushed you away, I should have talked to you, and I shouldn’t have continued to _not_ talk to you. This is so much easier than I expected it to be.”

Jaina shrugged, hesitantly reaching out and wrapping her hands around Vereesa’s hips. Vereesa made a small sound in the back of her throat, shifting forward and biting her bottom lip. “I’m pretty easy to deal with,” Jaina said, clenching her teeth as she watched Vereesa move.

“Yeah you are,” Vereesa replied, sounding like she’d just run up a flight of stairs. Her fingers tightened in Jaina’s hair, and her hips rolled, slow and sensual again. “You forgive me, right?”

Jaina grinned, looking up at her, nodding, and getting an odd sense of déjà vu. She noticed the scar through her eyebrow, her pretty blue eyes, the shape of her nose, cheekbones and lips. The world stopping clarity was gone though, as Vereesa’s thumb came to press against her lower lip. “You have a nice smile,” she stated, rolling her hips forward again. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to kiss you that night.”

“Yes I do,” Jaina responded breathlessly, leaning up to meet Vereesa halfway. Their lips met, and Jaina felt her breath leave her lungs in a single huff.

Vereesa kissed her deep and slow, fingers still combing steadily through her hair. Jaina felt the catch of her sharp teeth and felt her hips twitch in response. Vereesa broke from her with a gasp, placing a hand in the center of her chest.

“Let’s have an actual conversation about this later, but right now please just get me naked.”

Jaina was only too happy to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple things:  
> 1\. The thought of the Windrunner family as antivaxxers kept me entertained the entire time I was writing this chapter.  
> 2\. If you want to see grown ass women behaving like absolute morons, you've come to the right place.  
> 3\. NO SAD. ONLY HAPPY.
> 
> Hope you all liked it, and feel free to leave me a comment or kudos if you want!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this is the first time I've ever written smut in my life, so that's a thing lmao. I'm going to just go bury my head in the sand now. Anyway, hope you guys liked this dumb thing I produced, and feel free to comment or kudos if you like!

 Jaina scooped Vereesa up under her thighs, enjoying the delighted laughter she got in response. She nearly tripped over herself multiple times, her head swimming with the sheer headiness of it. She stumbled into her bedroom, not even bothering to close the door. One of Vereesa’s sisters was probably standing guard at the front anyway. Jaina wasn’t concerned about anyone seeing.

She set Vereesa carefully down on the edge of the bed, intending to make short work of her clothes. Vereesa, however, had other plans. With a singular tug, Jaina found herself atop the other woman, staring dumbly at her pretty smile. Her hips were pressed between Vereesa’s legs, and with a small, pleased noise, Vereesa splayed them wider, tilting her head back and exposing her throat.

With a growl, Jaina lurched forward, pressing her lips to the proffered skin and sucking. She felt Vereesa arch under her, a noise she’d never heard from her before escaping between her parted lips. She abandoned that spot in short order, scraping her teeth across the other side of her neck. Vereesa’s hands came up, combing through Jaina’s hair as she arched her back.

Jaina pressed kisses along the sharp cut of Vereesa’s jaw, hearing the dreamy sigh she got in response. Pulling back, Jaina pressed her forearms into the bed beside Vereesa’s head, leaning down to kiss her once more. “Okay?” she whispered, sounding winded.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Vereesa squirmed, tilting her hips up with a huff. “Jaina, just – get me naked.”

Jaina groaned, slipping off of her after delivering a sharp bite to the edge of one long ear. She heard a single, emphatic ‘fuck’ at the action, and smothered a grin into Vereesa’s skin. Her fingers pressed Vereesa’s shirt up, pausing at the sight of flat planes of muscle. She couldn’t resist leaning down, trailing her tongue along Vereesa’s stomach, feeling her muscles jump and contract as she fought to keep her hips still.

She spent far too much time there, leaving Vereesa flushed and panting beneath her. Jaina’s own face was flushed at this point, and she popped up, peeling Vereesa’s shirt up and over her head. Vereesa didn’t even bother waiting for Jaina to do it, dropping her bra over the side of the bed and wrapping her arms around Jaina's shoulders.

Groaning, Jaina went with the gentle tug, pressing her lips to Vereesa’s and sweeping her tongue through her mouth. Her left hand came up to cover a breast, squeezing, and she felt Vereesa's muscles contract, felt a sharp puff of air against her lips. Their kiss broke with a soft smacking noise and Vereesa clenched her teeth, moaning around them. Her hips rolled, unrestrained against Jaina’s clothed stomach.

“Off,” she panted, fingers digging into the muscles of Jaina’s back, “Take this off.”

Jaina pressed a placating kiss to her cheek, sitting back and peeling her own shirt over her head. She wasn’t nearly as fit as Vereesa, but she didn’t seem to mind. Jaina watched her eyes widen and she was forced to shift her weight as Vereesa sat up, hands dragging down the flat plane of her stomach.

She felt exposed like this, sitting astride Vereesa’s lap as she openly appreciated the skin that was shown. She jerked at the first press of Vereesa’s lips between her breasts but melted into it a moment later. She slid her arms around Vereesa’s shoulders, a soft sigh of appreciation escaping her lips. Jerking, Jaina pressed further into Vereesa’s mouth as she felt her fingernails scratch gently up her spine. She couldn’t help the breathless laugh that rushed up from her lungs. “That tickles,” she said in response to Vereesa’s questioning look.

The grin she got in response was stunning. Jaina, slack-jawed and staring, didn’t resist as deft fingers undid the hooks of her bra. She let the garment slide down her arms, flushing in sudden embarrassment. She hadn’t done this in a long time, much less with someone as pretty as Vereesa was.

Her concerns were unfounded though because the moan Vereesa let out couldn’t be mistaken for anything except unfiltered desire.

“You’re so gorgeous, gods you’re so gorgeous.” Vereesa stopped speaking, her mouth closing around one of Jaina’s nipples, her hands falling to curl around Jaina’s hips.

Jaina made a needy noise in the back of her throat, thrusting her chest forward. Her fingers combed gently through Vereesa’s hair, and she hissed at the scrape of her teeth. Vereesa pulled away from Jaina’s breast with a small pop, grinning up at her.

Jaina didn’t know what she looked like, but whatever Vereesa saw stopped her short. Her cheeks flushed, and she opened her mouth, but Jaina only heard a raspy exhalation of air.

Taking advantage of the moment, Jaina clambered off Vereesa’s lap, pressing her down into the bed with a firm hand on her chest. She laid out over her then, closing her eyes as they finally, _finally_ laid chest to chest. She nudged Vereesa’s chin up with her nose, scraping her teeth along soft skin. She palmed Vereesa’s breasts again, sucking bruises across Vereesa’s neck and shoulders.

Vereesa tilted her head, pressing her mouth to Jaina’s ear and catching the earlobe within her teeth. Jaina felt the razor sharp edge of a fang and felt a shiver run down her spine. She was suddenly overcome with the need for Vereesa to bite her, to sink her teeth into the skin of her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts. She wanted to bare the marks, to find them, have them remind her of this night, of what they were doing.

She pulled away with a snarl, looking into Vereesa’s smug face. That just wouldn’t do. She trailed her kisses lower, nipping at her collar bones. She kissed around Vereesa’s breasts, ignoring the needy whines Vereesa was gifting her with. It wasn’t until Vereesa was tugging harshly at her hair that Jaina finally gave in. She swept her tongue over one of her nipples, getting a sharp gasp of relief from the woman beneath her.

“Yes,” Vereesa breathed, her thumb trailing over the line of Jaina’s eyebrow.

Jaina’s hands slipped lower, nails scratching over Vereesa’s straining abs as she mouthed along her breasts. She followed the sharp line of muscle she’d all but drooled over in those first few months until she hit the denim of her jeans. Vereesa made another one of those small, needy noises from the back of her throat, hips tilting upward.

Jaina grinned around the breast in her mouth, moving from her chest to kiss down her stomach. She paused against the same muscle she’d just touched, sinking her teeth into the skin. A warning hiss had her soothing the spot with her tongue a moment later. No teeth. Got it.

Her fingers flicked open the button on Vereesa’s jeans and Jaina sank to her knees, giving Vereesa’s legs a tug so she was closer to the edge of the bed. She hooked her fingers underneath the undone denim, glancing up to see Vereesa, glassy-eyed and ruffled, looking at her with her lower lip caught between her teeth.

It was arguably one of the hottest things Jaina had ever seen, and she lowered her mouth to Vereesa’s skin, sucking a mark next to a protruding hip bone. Vereesa’s hips rolled up and into her face, and she gasped out an apology moments later, her hand falling to the top of Jaina’s head. Jaina just grinned in response, tugging her jeans down well-muscled legs. It took a moment because once Vereesa noticed what Jaina was doing, she started trying to help. She lifted her hips, which was good, but she shook her legs to rid herself of the jeans, which was less good. Jaina was almost kneed in the face a couple of times before they both started laughing.

Jaina rested her cheek against Vereesa’s now bare inner thigh, running her fingers up her damp underwear. Humming her appreciation, Jaina shifted forward, ghosting her mouth over the material and finally pressing her mouth just above the band of it. Vereesa groaned, her eyes fluttering and fingers lacing through her hair. She rested her legs over Jaina’s shoulders, making small, contented noises when Jaina ran her palms along her thighs. Jaina teased her, running her tongue along the skin above the band of her underwear and using her teeth to pull, allowing it to pop back toward her skin with a snap of elastic.

She pressed kisses to her inner thighs, scraped her teeth against Vereesa’s hipbone, used her fingers to swirl soothing patterns along Vereesa’s ribs. Vereesa was shaking, her hips rolling slowly against Jaina’s mouth. The grip in her hair grew painfully tight, but Jaina wanted Vereesa to beg for it. She’d imagined this and other obscenities the night they’d almost kissed. She’d imagined the pulse of Vereesa’s thighs as they clamped around her ears. She’d imagined the heady taste of her, the noises she’d make as Jaina held her down firmly and drew out orgasm after orgasm until Vereesa was folding into her chest.

Her mouth watered, temptation warm against her lips. She swallowed thickly, moving to press a lingering kiss to Vereesa’s underwear, to get a slight taste of what awaited her underneath. Vereesa yanked hard at her hair, sending Jaina’s head snapping back. A breathless whine emitted from Jaina's chest at the action and she felt herself grow even wetter in response.

“Jaina please,” Vereesa begged, trailing a hand down the side of her face. “Please. Gods. I feel like I’m about to explode.”

She looked wrecked and some primal part of Jaina ached to claim her, to suck more marks into her skin, to draw loud, lewd sounds from her throat as a chorus of her deepest, most animalistic thoughts echoed through her mind. _Mine, mine, mine._

She delivered a stinging bite to Vereesa’s thigh then, hooking her thumbs into the elastic of her underwear and pulling them down her legs. She settled back between her splayed thighs, running the fingers of her right hand along her newly displayed flesh, gathering the ample wetness that had spilled forth.

A guttural, desperate sound emitted from Vereesa’s chest, and she melted back into the mattress, her hand going lax in Jaina’s hair. Jaina dipped her fingers inside briefly, coating them before she moved them up to circle firmly against Vereesa’s clit. She watched her shudder, every muscle tensing. Vereesa clenched her teeth, face screwing up briefly at the sudden stimulation before she let loose a dreamy sigh, a soft smile curling the corner of her mouth.

“Mm, that feels good,” she mumbled, eyes half-lidded and locked with Jaina’s.

Jaina grinned, nodding her head as something warm and unexpected bloomed in her chest. “You’ll tell me if it doesn’t, yeah?”

Vereesa nodded, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the mattress.

Jaina took the opportunity to lower her mouth to Vereesa’s clit. She got a surprised, sharp noise in response. She dropped her fingers, letting them rest against Vereesa’s entrance, lapping her tongue in steady strokes against the small bundle of nerves. Vereesa's thighs snapped shut around Jaina’s ears, and Jaina could hear the muffled noises falling from between her lips. Gently, Jaina pressed Vereesa’s legs apart with her hands once more, still keeping the steady rhythm going. She pulled Vereesa’s clit into her mouth and sucked, not hard, she didn’t want to over stimulate her, but just enough that Vereesa could _feel_ it. Jaina was forced to rock back on her heels as Vereesa's hips arched, rocking against her plundering mouth.

“Oh, fuck, Jaina – just –” The rest of her statement was lost in a choked off moan. Jaina’s eyes snapped up and fell upon Vereesa sinking her teeth into the knuckles on her right hand. A thrill went through her at the sight, but she forced herself to stop, pulling back and pressing soothing kisses across her lower stomach.

“Are you okay?”

Vereesa growled, hand snapping to Jaina’s cheek so quickly that she nearly flinched back. “Jaina Proudmoore, I swear to all the gods if you don’t keep going, I’m going to lose my entire mind.”

Jaina snorted, rolling her eyes at the dramatics, but dutifully dropped her head, lapping her tongue over Vereesa’s clit once more. The taste filled her mouth, and Jaina hummed a pleased note low in her chest, squeezing Vereesa’s thigh with her left hand. The fingertips of her right one dipped inside Vereesa, and Jaina made a questioning noise from the back of her throat without moving.

She felt Vereesa’s fingers card through her hair, trailing down to the side of her face, and finally landing against her ear. She traced her thumb along the shell of it, back and forth, nearly distracting Jaina from the task at hand. Her ears weren’t nearly as sensitive as Vereesa’s seemed to be, but they were sensitive _enough_. Vereesa’s hips moved, trying to coax Jaina’s fingers deeper, and Jaina took that as answer enough. With a flex of her forearm, she worked two fingers inside of her.

There wasn’t any resistance, Vereesa seemed wet enough to handle it, but Jaina still took it slow, just in case. She knew she’d made the right choice when the thighs around her ears shook. She broke off from Vereesa with a lewd, wet noise, pressing a warm kiss to her thigh as she rocked back on her heels. Vereesa made a noise of discontent, pinching the lobe of Jaina’s ear.

She curled the fingers inside of her, watching Vereesa’s face go slack. She focused her attention on the small, rough patch she could feel on Vereesa’s front wall, pulling out, only to press in and up, keeping pressure against that spot again. Vereesa’s legs twitched, and her heels pressed harshly against Jaina’s back, trying to draw her closer.

“Okay?” Jaina asked again, taking the time Vereesa needed to answer to suck a mark against her thigh.

“Fantastic,” she panted out from between clenched teeth.

Her chest warmed again. Vereesa was just so pretty like this, skin flushed, pupils blown. She seemed half gone, capable of a few panted words before the rest of it was swallowed up in the slowly crashing waves of pleasure. Jaina wanted this forever, wanted to sit tangled in a mess of limbs, sweaty and sated. Breathing out slowly, Jaina closed her eyes, lowering her mouth to Vereesa once more.

She heard the hitch in her breathing, and Jaina gave a comforting squeeze to her hip this time. Her right hand kept steadily working, fingers curling and uncurling within her. She pressed in and out, putting more force behind her thrusts, which Vereesa seemed to appreciate if the tremulous moan was anything to go by. She timed the swipes of her tongue in conjunction with the thrusts of her fingers and Vereesa arched her back, hand leaving Jaina’s head to press against her own face.

“Jaina…” There was a low note of warning in her voice and Jaina redoubled her efforts, wanting to watch Vereesa shatter.

It didn’t take very long. Wordless exclamations emitted from deep within Vereesa’s chest. Jaina watched a flush spread down her skin, felt her thighs shaking against her face. She suddenly desperately wanted to be up there, to press her forehead against Vereesa's, to watch her eyes roll back in her head, watch the myriad of expressions that were sure to cross her damnably pretty face. She didn’t though. Jaina just kept her jaw working, drawing Vereesa tighter and tighter until she snapped.

With a breathless exhalation, Vereesa went rigid, her thighs snapping shut around Jaina’s head. Jaina didn't get to see her back arch, her hands tugging at her own hair, the way her lips parted around silent words, the way her eyes rolled as every muscle tensed and quivered. Vereesa's hips twisted to the side, jostling Jaina’s rhythm as her inner muscles clamped down on her searching fingers. She pulled her head back, keeping her fingers steadily thrusting. Her mouth was wet, and Jaina went to wipe it away before Vereesa’s hand closed weakly around her wrist.

“Come here,” she commanded softly, words slurred as she relaxed back into the mattress.

Jaina obliged, allowing her fingers to slip free with a lewd, wet noise. She stood, wincing as her knees creaked in protest. She draped herself over Vereesa’s prone form, pressing her nose into the space behind her ear and inhaling. She smelled like sweat, with the sweet undercurrent of vanilla.

A furnace was burning steadily under Jaina’s skin, but she ignored it, instead electing to swirl soothing patterns with her fingers across Vereesa’s chest. Vereesa sighed, reaching up to loop her arms around Jaina’s shoulders. She drew Jaina closer, kissing her still wet mouth and swiping her tongue across Jaina’s lower lip. Jaina let her eyes slip closed, kissing Vereesa back, sloppy and unrestrained, as if the orgasm had robbed Vereesa of her dexterity. Jaina kissed her until her lungs screamed for air, and only then did she pull back, sucking in a deep breath through her teeth.

Vereesa curled into Jaina’s chest, tucking her head up underneath her chin. Jaina shifted uncomfortably, feeling hot and slick between her thighs. She needed Vereesa to not fall asleep on her. There was no way she was going to be able to drift off before taking care of this very present problem herself.

“Mm, give me a minute,” Vereesa mumbled, smoothing a hand down her stomach and hooking her fingers into the waistband of her pants. “I just need a minute.”

She nuzzled her face into Jaina’s chest further, pressing warm kisses along her collarbones. Jaina folded her arms around her, stroking her hand down Vereesa’s spine. It seemed to be well received; Vereesa sighed, and Jaina felt her back ripple as she shivered, trying to shift even closer. It became apparent to Jaina very quickly that Vereesa got needy and cuddly whenever her brain was addled. Jaina didn’t mind indulging her. She found herself quite enjoying the closeness anyway.

It took about fifteen minutes, where Jaina held her, kissed her, ran her fingers through hair like starlight. After that, Vereesa popped up, her grin filthy and full of promises. Vereesa paid her back in full, snapping her teeth against the hollow of her throat, and eventually sinking her fangs into the connection between Jaina’s neck and shoulder.

Jaina’s Thalassian was rusty, but she knew enough to catch snippets of absolute filth that was being steadily whispered into her ear. She flushed from head to toe, feeling the heat burn through her as her eyes rolled. It sounded so pretty, so musical and lilting, but it was just so utterly _filthy_. It didn’t help that she’d never heard Vereesa speak it before, and the smooth way it rolled off her tongue did it for Jaina in the worst way. She took a moment to wonder whether or not Vereesa thought in common or her native tongue. She wondered how difficult it was to switch between the two languages, whether elven schools taught common as a prerequisite before the first rasp of Vereesa's tongue robbed her of thought entirely.

It turned out Vereesa was very _very_ good with her mouth.

In the aftermath, Jaina laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts adrift. Vereesa was curled into her chest, one leg was thrown over Jaina’s hip. Jaina let her eyes fall closed, her fingertips tracing across soft skin. She could feel sleep calling to her, feel the heavy pull of it in the itch behind her eyes. Her holiday had turned out much better than she’d thought when she’d woken up that morning.

“Hey Jaina?” Vereesa sleepily mumbled.

“Hm?”

“Is that date still on the table?”

Jaina laughed, pulling her closer and pressing her nose against Vereesa’s hair.

\---

The date _was_ on the table, and it went very well. Jaina switched her plans, taking Vereesa out for a nice dinner so she didn’t have to cook. The dress she selected for the occasion made Jaina’s mouth water, and from the smirk Vereesa gave her, Jaina had the distinct impression that she’d chosen it on purpose.

Candlelight danced in the dim room, casting curious shadows against the angles of Vereesa's face. Jaina was having a hard time not looking at her, which made her feel a little creepy. She couldn't help it though. Vereesa was just so pretty. 

"Yes?" Vereesa said, breaking the silence, looking up and meeting Jaina's eyes with a smirk. 

Jaina jumped, snapping her eyes down to her food and thanking the gods that it was dark enough in here that it should hide her bright red flush. She half-heartedly picked at her food, feeling Vereesa's eyes on her still. "Sorry," she blurted out a moment later, sheepishly biting the inside of her lip, "You're just...the candlelight, it's - you're very pretty."

Cold fingers slipped over her wrist, and Jaina glanced up to see Vereesa's gentle smile, far closer than she'd been expecting. She'd come up and out of her chair, leaning over the table so she could get closer. Her fingers left Jaina's wrist to come up and sweep along the arch of her cheekbone. 

"You're allowed to look at me, Jaina. You've seen me naked. I was just teasing you."

Well, she supposed, that was a fair point. She couldn't help it though. She was still a little gun shy about overstepping her bounds after she'd originally taken the plunge. Still, though, she didn't mind being a little brave. She turned her head, leaning forward and kissing Vereesa's mouth. She was  _right there,_ Jaina thought she'd be remiss if she didn't take the opportunity. If Vereesa's delighted hum was anything to go by, the risk had been more than worth it. Fingers brushed across her cheekbone again, trailing down her jaw and finally coming to rest against the side of her neck. Jaina went to pull back, but Vereesa's hand wrapped firmly around the base of her neck, intent on keeping their lips pressed together. It couldn't have been comfortable for her, really, but Jaina couldn't think about that when her head was spinning.

Vereesa  _did_ eventually pull back though, settling back in her seat after swiping her thumb under Jaina's lower lip. 

"As much as I'd enjoy kissing you all night, darling, we really should talk."

Right. Words. Jaina was good at those. 

"Right yeah, of course," Jaina said, shaking her head to get rid of the lingering heat of the kiss. "I guess I just...uh. Well. I don't know. What are you looking for out of this? I know what I am." She paused, frowning as she thought. "I don't want anything...you know. Crazy. I guess I just kind of want a chance to see if we could get somewhere. I've...I've kind of been hopelessly into you for a while now."

"I want the same thing," Vereesa replied immediately, reaching out and taking Jaina's left hand. "It doesn't have to be so scary. We can just do this, see how it goes. I -" 

She cut herself off, eyes widening.

Jaina panicked, afraid Vereesa was going to pull away again, leave her confused and hurt in the middle of this restaurant. Her hand tightened, and Jaina hoped it was going to ground her. It seemed to work, thankfully, because Vereesa's eyes snapped back to Jaina's.

"Hey," she said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to shut you out again, I promise. I just had...kind of a scary thought."

Jaina's brows furrowed, letting her expectant silence speak for itself.

Vereesa looked pained, and she let loose a frustrated huff of air. "I - listen. I promise it's not anything bad to do with you, or with us. It's just a sudden revelation that I'm  _really_ not comfortable talking about just yet. Can we talk about it another time?"

Jaina stayed quiet but brushed her thumb comfortingly across Vereesa's knuckles. "Okay. Just...don't shut me out."

Vereesa shook her head firmly, her mouth set in a grim line. "I  _promise_ , Jaina."

Words didn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but Vereesa hadn't ever given Jaina a reason to distrust her. Jaina was willing to fly in head first if it meant she got to be with her, that she got to be privy to Vereesa's secrets. She wanted that for them, long term, but she knew it wasn't just going to materialize miraculously after a single conversation. There had to be a little give. She simply brought Vereesa's hand up to her lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles.

The abject relief on Vereesa's face was worth it. She could keep her curiosity in check until Vereesa felt more comfortable.

"So, we just keep this up, right?" Jaina asked, "Nothing's really changed. I just get to kiss you now. It doesn't feel scary. It feels...nice. I like kissing you."

"I like kissing you too," Vereesa laughed, leaning forward and pressing their lips together to prove her point. "And I'm perfectly okay with that. In all honesty, we were basically dating without the perks for the last year and a half."

That was, unfortunately, true, and Jaina made a face at the revelation. "Okay, fair point. I just - why...why did you say no then?"

It still ached to think about, and she had to shamefully avert her eyes as she asked the question. But she couldn't go in without knowing. 

"Because it scared me," Vereesa replied, sounding raw and exposed. "I knew I was really into you for a long time, don't think you were the only one who knew. I  _knew_ , but I kept pushing it down because my husband died. It felt like I was being disrespectful, moving on too fast or something. So when you were there, offering me everything I'd ever fantasized about, everything I ever wanted on a remarkable silver platter, I didn't know what to do. My brain just flatlined and I panicked." Her face crumpled and Jaina felt Vereesa try to clench her fist. "The first thing I could think to say was no because my thoughts immediately went to Rhonin and how it hadn't been all that long since I'd lost him. Which is stupid, he'd love you so much, I  _know_ that. On top of that, it's just...I didn't think you needed all of this. I mean, I have these two twins, and you have this demanding job. I was making every excuse in the book to say that I wasn't good enough."

"Vereesa, that's -"

"Let me finish.  _That's_ why I said no, Jaina. It didn't have anything to do with you at all. It was all just...me and my own insecurities." Her face soured, and Jaina watched her lean back in her seat. "I suppose I owe Sylvanas a big favor for shoving me past them, don't I? Bitch."

The question was rhetorical and Jaina wisely remained silent. 

"Listen, I'm sorry. I hate the fact that I made you doubt yourself because you shouldn't. You're just...you're kind of everything I could have ever asked for, you know that right? I don't know how you fell into my lap, but I swear to all the gods, I'm so grateful you did."

Vereesa's voice was tinged with a desperate longing, one that Jaina was incredibly familiar with. She felt guilty, she wanted Jaina to  _know_ how good she was. It was overwhelming, but it eliminated any more lingering fear that Jaina had. Vereesa was just as in on this as Jaina was, and she felt herself smile, watched the relief spread across Vereesa's face as she smiled right back. Jaina choked back the phrase it was  _far_ too soon to utter, instead reaching forward and running her finger down one of Vereesa's long ears.

"I'm grateful too. You're everything I've been looking for too. Or - well, not  _looking_ for, exactly, but you're just the kind of person I've always wanted." She gave Vereesa's hand a squeeze, cutting her off as Vereesa opened her mouth. "Including all the messy parts of you. Your sons too, they're such good kids, you're doing such a great job with them. Your weird sisters, I want to be a part of it all, I don't care how messy it is. I like you, every part of you. I don't get to just pick and choose which parts I get to take."

Vereesa surged forward, cutting her off as Jaina tried to keep speaking. Their teeth clacked together, and Jaina hissed, but made a slight noise of surprise as Vereesa's tongue swept through her mouth. Her hands were insistent, tugging Jaina forward by her collar, sweeping up through her hair. She released her a moment later, eyes bright, mouth swollen. 

"What was that for?" Jaina asked, hand over her racing heart.

"For being wonderful," Vereesa insisted, kissing her again.

\---

 

For the first time in a long time, Jaina found herself genuinely happy. She got to hug Vereesa when she wanted to, kiss Vereesa when she wanted to, touch Vereesa when she wanted to. It was hard to navigate at first, understanding what was allowed and what wasn’t, but Vereesa was gentle and patient. She always assured Jaina that her attraction was fine, that she was  _allowed_  to be the girl who both wanted to hold her hand and the girl who wanted to transform her into a shaking, sweaty mess, melting into the mattress. That particular conversation had led to an interesting night, one that Jaina and Vereesa both blushed and laughed about the next morning.

She got more comfortable, little by little, eventually tossing her arm around Vereesa's shoulders and throwing Giramar and Galadin roughly around as they screamed with laughter. Elven children, Vereesa assured her, were not so soft as human children. Though, Jaina wasn't sure just how much of that was Vereesa's haughtiness speaking. She'd seen Galadin cry over a skinned knee just as much as a human child would. She was smart enough, however, to understand that was  _not_ a thing she was supposed to say to her girlfriend. 

As her comfort grew, so did Jaina's need to share. She wanted Vereesa to know things about her, to understand why she did the things she did. The conversation, she knew, wasn't going to be pleasant, but Jaina knew she had to give a little to get a little. She hoped fully opening up with her would make Vereesa more comfortable doing the same. She waited until the boys were asleep, until Vereesa's head was in her lap and Jaina was slowly carding her fingers through Vereesa's hair.

"Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"That never sounds good," Vereesa sleepily mumbled, cracking open an eye, "Do I need to be up off your lap for this?"

"Not really. Not if you don't want to be." Jaina was pretty sure having Vereesa's eyes closed would make this whole thing easier. She harbored a lot of guilt, even though logically she knew it was absolutely absurd. 

Vereesa hummed in response, tilting her head back, encouraging Jaina to keep up the slow stroke.

"I want to talk about my family," Jaina sighed, mouth twisting to the side.

Vereesa's eyes snapped open and she sat up, turning to face Jaina and reaching for her hands. "Really? You never want to talk about your family."

"I know. I just...I don't know. If this is going to work I don't want to have to keep secrets from you. It's not - I don't know. It's just a difficult subject for me."

Vereesa nodded, shifting forward and pulling Jaina into a hug. She melted into it, turning to press her nose into the space behind Vereesa's ear, breathing her in. It was nice, being held, being touched like she meant something. It made her feel human again. She hadn't realized how much she'd legitimately missed human contact until Vereesa had rolled into her life with her exceedingly tactile mannerisms, never mind how much worse it got when she'd been drinking. 

"Gods, where to start. I guess - well, you know we don't exactly speak. We haven't since I was about twenty-two years old."

Vereesa's eyes widened and Jaina watched her blink several times. She stayed quiet, letting Vereesa process and had to hide a smile as she blurted out what she was thinking. 

"I - what?! How! I talk to Alleria and Sylvanas all the time! Lirath too, when he, you know, answers the damn phone."

"It's not really my choice." She paused, frowning, wondering if that was strictly true. "Or, well...I guess it kind of is? We just...we had this huge fight when I was twenty-two and as a result of that, we haven't spoken."

The silence hung over the room for a minute, long enough that Jaina was afraid Vereesa was judging her. Jaina knew how important her family was to her.

"What happened, Jaina?"

"My father and I got into an argument. I started dating Thrall in college -"

"You dated  _Thrall?!_ "

" _Yes_ , dear, I dated Thrall. I started dating him in college, right after I graduated and was heading into graduate school. My dad was...not super thrilled about it?"

Vereesa looked very much like she wanted to revisit the Thrall discussion, but remained silent for now.

"Anyway, he threw this big conniption fit when I was home for the summer. In front of Thrall too, it was..." She trailed off, expression becoming haunted. "It was awful. I sided with Thrall because Dad was just being...he was being awful, you know? I didn't know he had all that built up. Mom wasn't too bad, but she was relatively silent, just letting Dad rage. Derek and Tandred wandered out and caught the tail end of it. Thrall offered to leave, and I refused to let him. I was...I was bullheaded and stupid."

"No you weren't," Vereesa said quietly, "You'd do the same thing for me if your family did that."

Jaina's expression hardened at the thought, and she felt her lip curl. Her family never would have done it with Vereesa. Quel'Thalas and Kul Tiras had always had a relatively diplomatic relationship. Trade flowed freely between the nations, and Jaina hadn't heard Vereesa make many comments about her home. Relations between Kul Tiras and Kalimdor, however, had always been icy. Her father had been a military man through and through and since Kalimdor was a consistent threat hanging over all their heads, Thrall had been too much for him to handle. Vereesa was right. Jaina would have done it for her too, and she didn't regret standing up for Thrall. Still...it was difficult to stomach, with all the guilt roiling through her chest.

"I would, but...I don't know. I still feel terrible. Anyway...after we fought he stormed out of the house. He never came back. I'm still not entirely sure what happened but that might just be because I worked so hard to block it out. Because people are...people, my family blamed me for his death. I know it's not my fault, I  _know_ , but-" She sniffed, shocked to suddenly find her eyes wet. 

Vereesa clicked her tongue, pulling Jaina forward so she could rest a cheek against her chest. Jaina cried for a while, the soothing beat of Vereesa's heart against her ear keeping her grounded. Her eyes ached in the aftermath, but Jaina felt a lot better. She was fairly certain she hadn't dealt with Daelin Proudmoore's death in any way at all, much less a healthy one. Talking about it now, with a woman she cared so deeply for was bringing back all that lingering shame and the same crushing sense of despair as when the news had reached her family. She let all the repressed emotions wash over her, clinging to Vereesa as she ruined her shirt. 

"I guess I just miss my Dad, even if he was bullheaded and his capacity for change was in the negatives. He was still my Dad. He still taught me and loved me when I was growing up. I miss my family. I miss being able to just sit down and hang out with them. I miss having their support. I didn't have much of anything in the aftermath of Dad's death. I was blamed, I had to make my own way through graduate school. Thrall and I signed on in that apartment immediately after everything and our relationship festered pretty quickly. He was, in my mind, all I had, so I just overwhelmed him with everything. We were still kids, how were we supposed to navigate something like that. I'm just glad we were able to still be friends." Jaina sighed, wiping futilely at the wet spots on Vereesa's shirt before she was stopped.

"Of course you miss your family," Vereesa said quietly, lacing their fingers together. "It doesn't matter if they're flawed people. I think...deep down," she paused to sigh, shaking her head, "I think deep down we all want to make our families proud anyway. Even if they are messed up. I know I would want my parents to be proud of me."

Jaina glanced up, feeling Vereesa's thumb come up to wipe her tears away. "I bet you they are," she told her.

Vereesa's answering grin was soft. "This is supposed to be about me comforting you, you know."

Jaina laughed, curling into her chest and pressing her ear against Vereesa's thrumming heartbeat again.

"I think you should try reaching out."

Jaina shot up, eyes wide and a gaping chasm of fear opening up in the pit of her stomach. "What?!" she blurted.

"Seriously, babe. It's been years and years. Surely they've had time to process everything. There's no way they still blame you for something you had no control over. That would be...it would be ridiculous." She paused, guiltily setting her mouth in a firm line. Jaina had to stop herself from brushing her fingers over Vereesa's pretty face. "I reached out - was forced to, really, but look what happened as a result." She gestured between them, the guilty set of her mouth easing as she smiled. "I love you. On our first date, that was the realization I had. I didn't want to say it, I felt like it was too soon, but I love you."

"I love you too," Jaina murmured distractedly, ignoring the amused snort she got in response. Vereesa had a point, really. If Jaina could muster up a bit of bravery, extend an olive branch like Vereesa had, maybe something good could come of it. She wouldn't know unless she tried. 

 So, the next day, Jaina sat down, Vereesa at her side, and called home for the first time in nine years. The reception was icy, her mother’s voice cool and distant. Even Vereesa winced at the tone. The rejection stung, but Vereesa pulled her out of her funk by insisting they go bowling. Of all things. Bowling. The twins had a good time though, which brought a smile out of her, despite her generally dismal mood. That night, Vereesa laid in her arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she worked a hand tenderly between Jaina’s legs. Jaina came with a sigh, the stress melting from her bones as she realized things were going to be alright. 

Tandred called the next day, however, wanting to meet her for lunch. Vereesa was thrilled, that bright, beautiful smile settling a warm glow in the center of Jaina’s chest. She brought Vereesa along for moral support, taking her lunch break to meet with her estranged brother. Vereesa was late, unable to tear herself away from the Silver Covenant, though Jaina later speculated that she’d shown up late on purpose.

When she  _did_  show up, however, Jaina discovered that apparently, no Proudmoore was immune to her charms. Tandred gaped openly between them as if he couldn’t believe Jaina had managed to land someone quite like this. She didn’t blame him. Vereesa, on the outside, was witty and charming, easily controlling the flow of conversation. Jaina knew better. She knew she was just as flawed and messy on the inside as Jaina herself. She figured that was why they worked as well as they did.

Vereesa insisted that she liked her brother, even though he'd stared at her more often than not. She told her that Tandred reminded her of Jaina, which had prompted a scowl that Vereesa had just laughed at. She probed, asking more questions about her family, and whether or not Jaina wanted to have children. That had prompted a confused silence from Jaina herself. Her answer, that she already had two children, made Vereesa messily cry, throwing her arms around Jaina's shoulders and sending them both careening back against the door. Jaina, for her part, just kept her bewildered questions to herself, running a soothing hand up and down Vereesa's spine.

It felt like things were starting to come together.

Jaina was an unending source of support for Vereesa, just as Vereesa was for her, in turn. Vereesa quieted her mind, made her stop thinking so much and just  _exist_. Vereesa encouraged her to do things she never would have before. She knew when to hug her, when to back off, when to mutter soothing words in her ear.

Jaina was the solid, consistent pillar that she thought Vereesa needed. She understood that Vereesa was strong, that she could handle nearly anything thrown her way, despite the fact that she cried at the drop of a hat. Jaina never wrote her off, always listened. She shouldered half the responsibility that the twins provided without complaint. They were her kids too, even if she wasn’t related biologically. She provided the best she knew how, getting them all out of the shoddy apartment building to a nicer one, closer to both their jobs. They hadn't even needed to have a serious discussion about moving in together, considering they'd basically been doing it for about two years already. 

More than anything else, Vereesa made Jaina want to be  _better_. She made her want to succeed, to take chances, to seize opportunities as they came. She made her want to be a better listener, a better lover, a better  _person_. She wanted to be the best that she could be, not only for Vereesa’s benefit. Vereesa had shown her the importance of wanting those things for herself.

The road to their relationship certainly hadn’t been perfect, and Jaina didn’t think she’d call  _them_  perfect either. The relationship took work, effort from both of them so they could grow and change together. But above all, above anything else, Jaina knew that she loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaina, getting absolutely railed by her hot gf: 'god i wonder if learning common was hard for her.' She can't get rid of the nerd. Pretty sure you can see the point where i just phoned it in for this one lmao. I was so tired of fighting with it. Also I might do a scene from Vereesa's point of view at some point. Probably right before her sisters shove her at Jaina to force them to make up since everyone seemed to enjoy that scene lmao. That is not written, and I make no promises when/if it will show up, but keep your eyes peeled for that maybe?
> 
> You can find me [here](http://www.kealias-ohai.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, if that's your jam.


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